FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- A self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in a Phoenix suburb in the first fatality involving a fully autonomous test vehicle, prompting the ride-hailing company Monday to suspend all road-testing of such autos in the U.S. and Canada....

Actor Jim Carrey drew new backlash Monday after posting artwork in which President Trump is depicted as the Wicked Witch of the West — just days after he sparked similar outrage with a "portrait" of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Former “Glee” star Mark Salling reportedly had alcohol in his system when he took his own life in January 2018. The star reportedly hung himself after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.

Former “Glee” star Mark Salling reportedly had alcohol in his system when he took his own life in January 2018. The star reportedly hung himself after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.

John Oliver may have gone too far with his latest viral stunt mocking vice president Mike Pence and a children’s book written and illustrated by his family. The late-night host released a spoof version of the book and opened the floodgates for his fans to attack the second family online.

Actor Jim Carrey drew new backlash Monday after posting artwork in which President Trump is depicted as the Wicked Witch of the West — just days after he sparked similar outrage with a "portrait" of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The polarizing politics of abortion have burst into the congressional budget debate, overwhelming bipartisan efforts to help millions of consumers who buy their own health insurance policies get relief from soaring premiums....

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed Florida&apos;s opioid legislation into law, a move seen by many as a good first step in combating a crisis that has claimed at least 16 lives a day in the Sunshine State....

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Unveiling a long-awaited plan to combat the national scourge of opioid drug addiction, President Donald Trump called Monday for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including embracing a tactic employed by some of the global strongmen he admires: the death penalty....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The polarizing politics of abortion have burst into the congressional budget debate, overwhelming bipartisan efforts to help millions of consumers who buy their own health insurance policies get relief from soaring premiums....

This blog post originated in the 2016 Science Mission Directorate Technology Highlights Report (20 MB PDF).Technology DevelopmentRadioisotope power systems (RPS) provide the efficient, long-lasting power sources vital to the success of numerous NASA space missions. RPS convert heat generated from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 oxide into electricity that powers spacecraft and instruments. The current “off-the-shelf” flight-proven RPS is the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which relies on power-generating thermoelectric (TE) couples using heritage materials (lead-telluride/ tellurium-antimony-germanium-silver alloys). NASA SMD is sponsoring technology development efforts to improve Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) performance, both in terms of the thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency (~ 6.3% at beginning of life - BOL) and the degradation rate during the 17-year design life.NASA SMD’s steady investment in thermoelectric materials and device research and development has led to significant technology breakthroughs. Recently, researchers have discovered several classes of new high-efficiency materials with an excellent potential for infusion into future RTGs. These materials—skutterudites (SKD, based on CoSb3), Zintl phases (such as Yb14MnSb11) and lanthanum telluride (La3-xTe4)—possess highly complex crystal structures, have excellent thermal and chemical stability across the range of very low temperatures (1273 K to 473 K) characteristic of the space environment where RTG operate, and offer significant opportunities for further increases in performance. In 2016, initial testing of new thermocouple devices combining these materials demonstrated a factor of two improvement in conversion efficiency over heritage technologies.ImpactIndustry is currently maturing lower-temperature (up to 900 K) SKD materials technology for potential infusion into an Enhanced Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (eMMRTG). The eMMRTG would offer a 25% boost in power at BOL that would grow to least 50% at end-of-design life (17 years after BOL), thanks to its estimated lower degradation rate. Combining this skutterudite technology with the higher-temperature 14-1-11 Zintl and La3-xTe4 materials into segmented device technology (segmented elements combine several materials into a single, wide-temperature, high-efficiency device that utilizes each material in its most efficient temperature range) could enable more capable RTG concepts. Such concepts could be modular, accommodate a wide range of power system sizing (from tens to hundreds of watts), and achieve much higher specific power than the MMRTG. This SMDfunded technology has also attracted interest for application to various terrestrial fields of use concerning industrial waste heat recovery and energy efficiency.Left: New industry-produced SKD couples that are resilient enough to operate in the eMMRTG hermetically sealed convertor cavity. (Credit: S. Keyser, Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc.) Center: Monte Carlo simulation of heat flow across composite TE material with metal inclusions. (Credit: P. von Allmen, JPL/Caltech) Right: High-temperature segmented thermoelectric module technology with 2X efficiency gain over heritage RPS technology. (Credit: S. Firdosy, JPL/Caltech)Status and Future PlansSeveral significant technology developments were completed in 2016. A new method— composite assisted funneling of electrons (CAFE)—was identified for improving the efficiency of TE materials such as 14-1-11 Zintls and La3-xTe4. The CAFE mechanism does not appear to be material-specific and could provide a new method to improve the efficiency of a wide range of thermoelectric materials. For SKD technology, SMD-sponsored efforts focused on developing device component technologies resilient enough to operate within the hermetically sealed convertor “cavity” of the eMMRTG. Researchers also changed the materials used to metallize the SKD elements and altered the composition of the metallic bonding layers used to fabricate the couples. Extended performance testing in a relevant operating environment confirmed the resilience of the new SKD couple configurations to residual moisture and gases. Completion of the SKD technology maturation for a potential transition to the eMMRTG flight system development is currently scheduled at end of 2018.Sponsoring OrganizationPSD’s Radioisotope Power System Program is providing funding to the Thermoelectric Technology Development Project (TTDP) managed by Jean-Pierre Fleurial at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The TTDP is led by JPL and includes participation by the NASA Glenn Research Center, academia, and industry.Read more Technology StoriesMaster Image:

LSD reduces the borders between the experience of our own self and others, and thereby affects social interactions. Researchers have now found that the serotonin 2A receptor in the human brain is critically involved in these intertwined psychological mechanisms. This knowledge could help develop new therapies for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or depression.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- A self-driving Uber SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in the first death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle - an accident that could have far-reaching consequences for the new technology....

LONDON (AP) -- Britain&apos;s information commissioner plans to apply for a warrant to access the servers of Cambridge Analytica, which allegedly used data mined from Facebook to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election....

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- A self-driving Uber SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in the first death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle - an accident that could have far-reaching consequences for the new technology....

Sunday night's fatal crash in Arizona involving a self-driving Uber SUV could leave the ridesharing company vulnerable to criminal charges under new rules enacted earlier this month by the state's governor.

TOKYO (AP) -- Thirteen Japanese cult members may be sent to the gallows any day now for a deadly 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes. But when is uncertain. Such is the secrecy that surrounds Japan&apos;s death penalty system....

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. human rights chief told an informal meeting of the Security Council Monday that the Syrian government&apos;s five-year siege of the Damascus suburbs of eastern Ghouta has involved &quot;pervasive war crimes,&quot; use of chemical weapons and starvation as a weapon of war....